Your Store’s Best Friend?

Dogs have been an important part of humanity for millennia. Over the past few years, studies have shown the wild canids that came to campfires initiated the relationship with humans and had a significant impact on the development of early civilization.

It’s no surprise, then, we’re close to our dogs — especially if we’re hunters who have sporting breeds. With the changes COVID has brought, many of us have grown closer to our dogs and keep them with us even more than we did before. Prior to COVID, many employers already had discovered the benefits of dogs in the workplace, but this trend seems to be accelerating.

Benefit 1: Breaking The Ice

Carl Ingrao, owner of Four Seasons Firearms in Woburn, Mass., started taking his yellow Labrador retriever Holly to work with him 20 years ago. (Holly was featured in the October 2000 issue of Shooting Industry, when Ingrao introduced her to the shooting sports community.)

“Holly was here for 13 years,” Ingrao recalled. “She worked Tuesday through Friday, and on Saturdays by appointment only. We had a couple of parents whose kids wanted to meet her on a Saturday, so I would bring her in. For 13 years she would greet people at the door.”

When Holly passed away, Ingrao waited a while to get another dog.

“We didn’t get another Lab because Holly was so special, and we were afraid we would keep comparing another Lab to her,” he noted. “So, we got something completely different, and she’s been a lot of fun too.”

Today, Ingrao has Bella, a French bulldog. She started at the store in 2008 and is now 12 years old.

“We bring her to the store every day except on weekends,” Ingrao informed. “She’s a great icebreaker when someone comes in with a friend and the other person is maybe not too crazy about being in this gun store. They’ll be looking around and Bella will come out, and the person just lights up. It changes the whole mood.”
Bella not only brings in customers, she also helps keep them.

“I can’t tell you how many people have told us, ‘Anyone who loves animals as much as you guys do gets my business.’”

Carl Ingrao, Owner Four Seasons Firearms

“I can’t tell you how many people have told us, ‘Anyone who loves animals as much as you guys do gets my business,’” he said.

When Holly was in the store, Ingrao did a lot of things to capitalize on her popularity. She had her own page on the store website, a spot Bella’s page now occupies. They even produced a few T-shirts. (Ingrao shared they became like collector’s items among his customers.)

According to Ingrao, having a dog in the store adds a lot to the personality of the shop.

“I think the fact we’re pet lovers drives business to us,” he suggested. “It does affect sales. People come in to see Bella and ask if she’s in the store. Even the tough biker guys love her. I can’t measure it, but having a dog is definitely a draw.”

Ingrao also collects donations for local animal shelters and runs raffles to raise money for shelters.

“People love that stuff, and I love doing it,” he affirmed.

Benefit 2: Flipping The Script

Battle Born Ammunition & Firearms in Carson City, Nev., has a long history of dogs in the shop.

“I have two pugs who have always been store dogs,” shared Owner Kristy Scott. “They’re about a month apart in age. The older one is brindle, and his name is Tex. His little sister is fawn, and her name is Lil Bit.” Both are about 5 years old.

Scott also has a young English Mastiff named Freya who was about 100 lbs. at 6 months old.

“Everyone who comes here knows all three of them must be greeted when you come into the store,” she added. “The mastiff will howl until she’s acknowledged.”

Scott originally started taking her dogs to work because she missed them during the day, and they had some separation anxiety when she was gone.

“That was back in December 2017,” she recalled. “My customers loved it. They would come in and pet the dogs and then they’d bring their dogs in, too.”

The store is only a few doors away from a groomer and a vet, and customers who go to the vet often bring their dogs in afterward to visit.

The store has a lounge in the front with couches and a kids’ area where Scott often teaches classes.

“Everyone who takes classes with me knows to hide their food because the dogs will be coming through,” she said. “Having the dogs here makes the store friendlier. Our focus in opening this store was to take the darkness out of going into a gun store. We’ve tried to take this attitude of a gun store not being approachable and flip it. The dogs really help with it and put people at ease, especially when you’ve got a 100-lb. puppy. I really love having them here every day.”

“Why not?” Tracy answered. “You’ve got your furry friends with you all day, and it creates a friendlier, more welcoming environment. People really like dogs, so they feel more comfortable when they come in. It gives us more to talk about, it distracts the kids and it keeps the crumbs off the floor! People have told me their kids ask to come to the gun store to see the dogs; Abby has all the delivery drivers trained to give her treats.”

Her dogs have built relationships with different customers: “They come in and give her treats,” she shared.

Although most of her customers love having a dog in the shop, now and then Tracy gets someone who is either terrified of dogs or allergic to them.“When that happens, we just put Abby behind the counter,” she noted. “It’s not my place to address their fears; I just take care of what they need. If someone is allergic, I go outside to help them, so they don’t have to suffer the allergy problem.” Abby is very sensitive to people which has led to some remarkable interactions.“One of the guys who used to work for me didn’t feel good, and didn’t feel like he could drive home,” Tracy recounted. “He went to rest in the classroom; Abby followed him and sat between his feet. She wasn’t a big fan of men at that point in time, so it was very unusual behavior. The next day, he found out he was having a heart attack. He didn’t know it, but Abby did.”

Benefit 4: Name Inspiration

Dogs are not limited to retail stores. Nick Ecker, president of Charter Arms, takes three golden retrievers to work with him every day. His journey into taking dogs to work started with an injured dog several years ago.

“My golden retriever Mandi had a torn ACL and she had to walk a lot, so I took her to work,” Ecker noted. “After she passed away, my daughter found a golden retriever puppy named Mandi who was born on the same day my Mandi died. I told her ‘Don’t you dare,’ but the dog arrived. She grew to look exactly the same as the first Mandi.”

Then Maggie — Mandi’s niece — arrived, also courtesy of Ecker’s daughter.

“When she gave me Maggie, she told me, ‘You always said you wanted to have more than one dog so you aren’t heartbroken if something happens to one.”

Then a third puppy (this one Maggie’s nephew) arrived.

“A distributor was here in my office looking at new models, and the puppy was in here,” Ecker recalled. “We put one of the new models, a Boomer, on my coffee table and went into the factory for a tour. When we came back, the puppy was chewing on the gun. So, we had to call him Boomer.”

Having the dogs in the outer office where several people have their work areas is always positive, Ecker observed.

“When people come in, they just love that the dogs are there,” he said. “They greet everybody, vendors and customers. They end up under this desk or that desk. It’s kind of soothing. Then at the end of the day they all jump into the car and we go home.”

Benefit 5: Best “Spokesdog”

Marci Norman, owner of Iron Goat Guns in Fountain, Fla., also has taken her dog to work with her for several years.

“I have been bringing my dogs to the shop for about six years now,” she noted. “We’ve had several dogs come to work with us over the years. Right now, we’re down to one Chihuahua terrier mix named Nosy. He’s 2 years old. The one we had before him was a Jack Russell named Diamond.”

Norman shared Nosy likes to chase grasshoppers and loves to greet people.

“People have told me their kids ask to come to the gun store to see the dogs.”

Marna Miller Tracy, Owner Tampa Tactical

“He’s a good companion when I’m at the shop by myself, and the people who come in like him,” she added. “Every time someone comes in he barks at first and they think he’s cute. He puts people at ease and makes them feel more comfortable coming in. I think some of them stay and look a bit more because of Nosy interacting with them.”

Because Iron Goat Guns also has a private gun club, there are benches available for patrons to sit down. If someone sits, Norman shared Nosy takes it as a cue for him to sit on the bench with the person and visit.

Customers bring in their own dogs to see Nosy.

“He’s very social,” Norman expressed. “We have some people who will stop in just to say hi to him, and some who have dogs who bring them in to play with him. Sometimes they buy a box of ammo or something else small when they do that. He’s a good spokesman for Iron Goat Guns.”

Dealers, do you bring dogs in the store? Share your favorite pics: We’ll select a few for inclusion in a future issue. comments@ shootingindustry.com

Click To Read More Shooting Industry April 2021 Issue Now!